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Minnesota Senate approves education cut

ST. PAUL -- Minnesota senators voted to chop public school budgets $273 per pupil Tuesday while opting to expand a program that pays teachers based on performance instead of seniority.

Those on the winning side of the 37-29 vote were not happy to be cutting schools, but said a massive state budget deficit left them no choice.

"This bill expects more from our educational system and gives them less resources to carry it out," said Sen. LeRoy Stumpf, DFL-Plummer, chairman of the Senate Education Finance Committee.

"There is no way to sugar coat this," Stumpf added. "This is a reduction to our education system. ... There will be some real pain out there."

The bill was supported by DFL Sens. Mary Olson of Bemidji and Rod Skoe of Clearbrook.

While Stumpf's bill trims education 3.2 percent, Gov. Tim Pawlenty wants to up spending 2.2 percent and House Democrats would keep spending about the same as in the current budget. Specifics on the House bill are due next week.

The Senate cuts $484 million out of the current public school budget.

The House and Pawlenty both propose delaying some state payments to schools until the next budget, which begins in 2011. Stumpf admitted that will be part of the discussion when differences among the plans are negotiated, but senators did not support the plan.

Republicans lined up against the bill, joined by some Democrats. It was the Senate's first budget bill of the year and Stumpf said the rest may be tougher to pass.

Lawmakers are writing a two-year budget that would face a $6.4 billion deficit if not for federal economic stimulus money, higher taxes and program cuts.

Included in the bill are provisions to expand Pawlenty's pet education project, which he calls Q Comp, that pays teachers based on their performance, not the traditional system of paying based on how long a teacher has been employed.